Acetylene-gas generator



(No Moderl.)

' C. H. WILCOX.

ACETYLBNE G'AS GENERATOR.

No, 578,847. y Patented Mar. 16, 189m,

WTA/55555 INvE/vT/JH UNITED STATES OLEMEN'IINA HOBART IVAILOOX,

PATENT Price,

OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of I-.etters Patent No. 578,847, dated March 16, 1897.

Application tiled December 5, 1 896. Serial Noz 614,594. (No model.)

To all whom, may concern:

Be it known that I, CLEMENTINA HOBART WILCOX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Gen erators, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide an automatic generator for the production of acetylene or other gas; second, to provide means for supplying toV such generator whilein use calcium carbid or other gasgenerating material Without permitting the gas therein to escape; third, to provide a suitable basket or receptacle for the calcium carbid during the process of generating gas; fourth, to provide means for condensing and drawing oit the water carried by the gas, and, fifth, to provide a suitable holder for storing and controlling the pressure of the accumulated gas.

To these ends my invention consists, first, of a generator wherein I produce acetylene gas; second, a calcium-carbid charger; third, a calcium-carbid basket orholder; fourth, a condensing-coil, and, fifth, a telescope gasholder.

In the accompanying drawings, whichfform a part of this specilication, Figure l is a transverse vertical section of my generator, and Fig. 2 is a top View of the calcium-carbid basket on alarger scale.

Similar letters refer to similar parts.

A is the generator; B, the calcium-carbid charger; C, the calcium-carbid basket; D, the condensing-coil, and E the gas-receiver.

The generator A consists of the tank a, (preferably cylindrical,) open at its upper end and closed at its lower end, and the inverted case b, (also cylindricah) closed at its upper end and open at its lower end.

The charger B consists of the vertical cylinder c, its cover d, its bottom e, a polished rod f, and a spring-coil g. The cylinder c is open at both ends and is rigidly affixed in the crown or cover of the inverted case b.' The cover d is centrally pierced and provided with a stufng-box. It rests upon and closes the upper end of the cylinder c.

The bottom 'c is conical and fits into Vand closes the lower end of the cylinder c. The

polished rod f is rigidly secured to the apex of the bottoni e, passes through the stuffing-box of the cover d, through the spring-coil g, and terminates in a knob or button.

The calcium-carbid basket C may be made of woven wire or of perforated sheet metal. It is supported from the dome or cover of the inverted case Z9. I prefer to make the basket O annular, but do not confine myself to any particular form.

The condensing-coil D is not unlike those in general use, and therefore needs no description herein. The gas-holder E likewise isl common, and therefore needs no description.

j' is a stand-pipe through which I supply the generator A and the gas-holder E with water both for sealing and for generating.

7o is a valve through which I draw off the water condensed in the coil D. Z is another valve with which I shut off the gas between the generator A and the gasholder E, and m is still another valve by means of which I shut off the gas from the burners.

The operation of my generator is as follows: I first raise the cover d of thecharger B (by compressing the spring-coil g) and drop calcium carbid (broken into small pieces) into the cylinder c, when by the recoil of the spring g the cover d is forced down and held in place upon the upper end of the cylinder c. I next drop the conical bottom c of the charger B by forcing down the polished rod f, (thus again compressing the spring-coil g,) thereby allowing the calcium carbid to drop into the basket C, when by the recoil of the spring g the conical bottom e is forced up and held in place against the lower end of the cylinder c. It will thus be seen that the cover d and the bottom e are both held in place by the spring-coil g, and that when the cover d is raised the bottom e must remain in place, and vice versa. When the bottom e is lowered, the cover d must remain in place.

,Hence no gas can escape from the generator while recharging the same. I now let water into the generator A and gas-holder E through the stand-pipe j until lit rises to and saturates the calcium carbid suspended in the basket C, when the generating of acetylene gas will at once begin and will (by its expansive force) raise the inverted case b of the generator A,

ICO

and in so doing will raise the calcium-carbid basket, with its contents, out of the water, when the further generating of gas will be suspended until (through the consumption of the accumulated gas and the consequent lowering of the inverted case t.) the basket C shall .again be submerged and the calcium carbid therein saturated, when the generating of gas will be resumed. It wili thus be seen that my generator is automatic in its operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and'desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

l. In a gas-generator, the combination with a liquid-holding tank open at its upper end and closed at its lower end, of an inverted Gase closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, located in said liquid-holding tank; a Charger set into the dome or cover 0f said inverted case.; said charger embodyclosing the said rod and bearing upon the said cover; and a basket suspended from the dome or roof of the said inverted case; substantially as shown, and for the purpose specified.

2. In .a gas-generator, the combination of the liquid-holding tank, the rising-and-falling gas-holding` case, located in said liquidholding tank and provided with a basket for holding a gas-gen erating material, the charger opening into and carried by the gas-holding casein its up-and-down movement, and provided with a centrally-pierced cover, a conical bottom, a rod extending from the said conical bottom and through the said pierced cover7 and a spring-coil inclosing the said rod and pressing upon said cover, whereby the said cover may be raised upon the said rod Jfor lling the said charger, and the said bottom may be forced downward by the said rod for emptying the said charger, substantially as shown and for the purposes specified.

CLEMENTINA HOBART WILCOX. Witnesses M. P. HOBART, J. NV. BUTLER. 

